Fri, 03 Apr 2020 11:12:56 -0700WeeblyThu, 11 Oct 2018 16:21:24 GMThttps://www.itechnation.org/newsletter/evolve-with-tcca-and-the-aldine-broadcast-networkFall is in the air. Leaves are changing color, temperatures are falling, Christmas decorations are going up in stores. Wait... I am in Texas. It is still hot, leaves are falling from heat stroke and the recent rains have left the Texas state bird, the mosquito, draining a pint a day. This is always a super busy time for me in Aldine. The Technology and Curriculum Conference of Aldine is set for October 20th. The team has worked an entire year preparing for the opportunity to host 4000 educators from around the gulf coast and beyond. My role in the conference has changed over the years. I have moved from conference founder, conference chair, to iTechNation live broadcast, to host of ABN live broadcast to the ABN Coordinator in charge of making sure the live show goes off without a hitch. We will once again be broadcasting live from the stage at Davis High School. If you would like to watch conference coverage because you can't make it tune in to Aldinetv.com the morning of the 20th to see what all the happenings are about!

]]>Mon, 10 Sep 2018 16:05:44 GMThttps://www.itechnation.org/newsletter/working-together-to-help-a-student-achieve The power of working together. A little ways back a Carver High School student won the state BPA (Business Professionals of America) State Conference in the Computer Modeling. The presentation was focused on designing and presenting a model of a statue for the Boston Marathon Memorial. Out of the blue Carver High School student La'Jasha Champion won with an outstanding presentation and model of two girls running both up and down hill. La'Jashe has no formal training in 3D modeling and started from a pencil and paper drawing to design and produce a model and presentation that pitches the idea of why her memorial is the best memorial to remember those hurt in the Boston Marathon Bombing. Winning the state level contest she began working on producing a refined product and additional information for her "pitch". After teaching herself TinkerCAD she digitized her drawings and began the long process of converting her drawing to a printable 3D model. After a month of working on the statue with her teachers and district personnel iTechNation was contacted to see if we could help print the model. We went to work trying to print the model. After a 24 hour period of trying to get the Makerbot to print we were stumped. We put a call out to Techno-Chaos and Advanced Graphics. Both companies are known for their expertise in the maker movement and graphic modeling and design. With their assistance the drawing issues were corrected and her model was printed. This is a case of how business partnerships and community outreach can help an individual out. Teachers and administrators were unable to solve the issues in the appropriate amount of time and through connections fostered here at iTechNation La'Jasha was able to compete at the national level. She placed in the top ten at the BPA National Leadership Conference. An achievement that isn't to bad for someone who had never drawn a 3D model before. Thank you Techno-Chaos and Advanced Graphics we couldn't have done it without you!